3 Reasons For The Vikings To Give Thanks

It’s Thanksgiving Day, the day America drops its daily routine to spend time with loved ones and give thanks for personal blessings and fortune. It’s also an appropriate day for the Vikings and Vikings fans to take a moment and be thankful.

Here are three things for which the Vikings organization and its great, passionate fan base can be thankful.

1. A New StadiumProgress continues to be made on the new stadium the Vikings will call home beginning in 2016. It was a long, hard battle with lots of back and forth and ups and downs, but finally the stadium bill passed and the Vikings future in Minnesota was secured. Recently, the Vikings and the Wilf family committed an additional private contribution of up to $41.4 million to keep the project moving forward. The announcement came as part of the agreement by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the Vikings and Mortenson Construction on a Construction Management Plan that includes a Guaranteed Maximum Price of $763 million for construction costs of the new stadium.

Also, an important landmark in the stadium project will be reached next week. On Tuesday, December 3, the Vikings will hold a groundbreaking ceremony to officially mark the start of construction on the new stadium.

2. Talented, Young Core of Players on the RosterThe Vikings are 2-8-1 in a season that has not gone as planned. While it appears the 2013 season will fall short of expectations, the good news is the Vikings roster is one that can quickly turn into a winning one as soon as 2014. The reason for this is a young core group of talented players on both sides of the ball. Nine of the 10 players drafted in 2012 remain on the roster and seven of the nine players drafted this past season remain on the roster. From Rhett Ellsion, Brandon Fusco, Matt Kalil, Cordarrelle Patterson, Kyle Rudolph and Jarius Wright on offense, to Audie Cole, Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, Marcus Sherels and Harrison Smith on defense, the Vikings have a long list of players with three years or less of experience who figure to be a part of the solution. Plus, the Vikings are poised to be set on special teams with Jeff Locke and Blair Walsh handling themselves well in their short time with the team.

3. The NFL MVPAdrian Peterson was drafted by the Vikings in 2007 and since then he’s become the face of the franchise while rewriting team and NFL record books, keeping fans on the edge of their seats every step of the way. Last year he became just the seventh running back in League history to rush for 2,000 yards and he was named the NFL’s MVP. Peterson is the heart and soul of the Vikings, and with him on the field the Vikings know they can win any game. Peterson is the type of player you tell your grandkids about. He’s a timeless player who would’ve excelled in any era of the game. He’s an all-timer, a future Hall of Famer, and a player we should all feel fortunate about being able to watch.